


Mother Of Three

by Kamije_Celeek



Series: Only Human [2]
Category: Warriors - Erin Hunter
Genre: F/M, Family, Family Secrets, Gen, Human AU, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-23
Updated: 2018-10-07
Packaged: 2019-07-16 02:07:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,512
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16076093
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kamije_Celeek/pseuds/Kamije_Celeek
Summary: Leafpool ran away from home with Crowfeather, but returned not long after.  They separated and never spoke again.  Two months later, she found out she was pregnant.  Her sister came up with a plan that would allow Leafpool to pursue her dreams and still see her children.Years later, the lie is exposed and Leafpool must choose what to do.





	1. Prologue

Leafpool felt like she couldn't breathe.

Just two months earlier, she'd tried to run away from home with her boyfriend, Crowfeather, in an effort to escape her stifling duties as a medical student. She was the one who was supposed to make their parents proud by becoming a doctor, the first woman in their family to do so. She was the level-headed one who didn't make rash decisions. She was the elder sister. She was supposed to set a good example for Squirrelflight. She was supposed to help her mentor during rough times.

All of that was down the drain now. Cinderpelt was dead, murdered by a psychopath who'd wanted to kill pregnant women giving birth and seen Cinderpelt as an obstacle. Squirrelflight was growing up, falling in love and finding emotional stability in her now-fiancé, Brambleclaw. Her parents were busy dealing with the fallout from a recent attempt to assassinate her father and the psycho who'd killed Cinderpelt. And now… well, it seemed that the level-headed medical student, the one who didn't make rash decisions, the one who was supposed to set a good example… had run away with her boyfriend in the middle of the night. It had been a glorious two days of  _no responsibilities_ before she felt like something was wrong.

They'd returned to the hospital just in time to see the psycho who'd killed Cinderpelt being arrested by Brambleclaw. He'd informed them of what happened and she'd been overcome with grief. As a result of the emotional turmoil they'd been thrown into, she and Crowfeather had broken up. Recently, she'd heard that he'd found a new girlfriend. For her, however, things weren't  _nearly_  as smooth. Especially not now. Not with what she'd just found out. Tears rolled down her face as she glanced down at the plastic in her hand.

She was  _pregnant_.

"Leafpool?" called Squirrelflight through the bathroom door. "You in there?"

The brunette stood up and opened the door, letting her sister inside. Squirrelflight noticed Leafpool's tears and immediately swept her twin into a hug.

"What's wrong?" she whispered.

"I… are Mom and Dad here?"

"No, it's just me. Dad had to give a speech at the hospital and Mom went with him. Why?"

"I'm pregnant." Squirrelflight backed away, a look of confusion on her face.

"You're  _what_?"

"Pregnant. I'm going to have a baby." The redhead took a deep breath and kicked the bathtub, unsurprisingly hurting her foot in the process.

"Damn Crowfeather, getting his filthy hands all over my sister…" she cursed under her breath, holding her injury.

"I don't know what I'm going to do…" Squirrelflight thought for a second, then grabbed her sister's hands.

"I do." There was a wide grin on her face. "It's going to sound completely stupid, but… what if we say that  _I'm_  pregnant instead?"

"What?! Why?!"

"Because you have your whole life ahead of you! I'm the one who this was supposed to happen to, and I'll raise your kids as my own. That way, you can still see them and focus on school!"

"Have you and Brambleclaw… um…"

"Had sex? Yeah. We were actually hate-fucking long before we started dating."

" _Squirrelflight!_ "

"What? It's true! It's fully possible that I could've gotten pregnant." Squirrelflight gripped her sister's hands. "Leafpool, this is going to work out for both of us. I can have a family with the person I love, and you… you can still see your children and have the career you always wanted!"

Leafpool blinked. Squirrelflight actually had a decent plan.

And then her sister picked up the fallen pregnancy test.

"I'll just say this is mine. In the meantime, when you start to show, just wear baggier clothes to hide your belly. I'll do the same unless I can figure out a way to make myself  _look_  pregnant."

"What about doctor's appointments? Ultrasounds? Things like that?"

"Pssh. I'll just say that I want to go through this with as little fanfare as possible." Squirrelflight seemed very excited at the prospect of pulling this off.

That was what gave Leafpool the courage to consent to the crazy idea.

* * *

"Push, Leafpool!"

The two sisters were alone again, this time at a cabin in the dead of winter. Their parents and Brambleclaw had gone out to get supplies, confident that Leafpool and Squirrelflight would be fine. They had each other, after all, and Leafpool was a medical student. A blizzard had sprung up, making it impossible for the rest of the group to return. On top of that, the baby had decided to send Leafpool into labor.

"I'm  _pushing_!" snapped Leafpool as a contraction rippled through her belly. She screamed as the baby was born.

"It's a boy!" announced Squirrelflight, smiling. She wrapped the poor kid in a towel then frowned. "Uh, Leafpool, there's another one."

"Oh, God!" Leafpool wailed. The second baby was pushed into the world, screaming just as loudly as its brother.

"Girl!" Squirrelflight furrowed her brow. "There's one more!"

" _I'm going to murder Crowfeather!_ " screamed Leafpool, as she pushed her final child into the world. She was gasping for breath, the last of her labor pains subsiding.

"And a boy. You had triplets!" Squirrelflight was smiling as if  _she'd_  just given birth. Leafpool wanted to smack her.

"I feel like I'm going to die."

"Oh, nonsense." The younger of the twins handed her sister the small knife and clips she'd requested. "You said you'd need these after the birth."

"Yeah." Leafpool cut the cords of her three babies before swinging her legs over the edge of the bed. "We need to clean them."

"Rest. The blizzard's not supposed to clear up until tomorrow, and they won't send out the snowplows until tomorrow afternoon. That's plenty of time for you to recover and me to make it look like I gave birth."

"They need names, at least."

"True. Let's wait until Brambleclaw, Mom, and Dad get back for that."

Leafpool began instructing her sister on how to clean the blood from the babies and properly swaddle them, which Squirrelflight did with relish. The oldest boy—who had golden fuzz on his head—was squirming already, hungry. His birth mother, for what she knew would be one of the few times she'd be able to, lifted him to her breast and let him nurse. His sister followed suit, and the youngest was allowed to nurse once his older siblings finished.

The next day, their family returned to see the two sisters caring for the triplets. Brambleclaw was both upset that they'd been alone for the delivery and happy to be a father. Leafpool stood quietly in the background, watching the babies be fussed over. The oldest was named Lionblaze. His sister was named Hollyleaf. And the youngest was named Jayfeather.

* * *

As night fell, Leafpool went to bed and felt nothing but pain in her heart. Her triplets were sleeping in the room between hers and their 'parents', and the heartbroken mother was alone. There was so much that she wanted to say. She wanted to claim the three as her own, take credit for the labor that had brought them into the world, be their mother.

But she couldn't.

She owed it to Cinderpelt, to Sandstorm, to Firestar, to be the good girl and follow her path. Finish school. Focus on her career for a while. The triplets would derail all of that, she knew, but at least she'd be a part of their lives. She couldn't say the same for their father, but he was in a new relationship. From what she'd heard, he'd gotten married and his wife was expecting a son. Her heart ached.

For her children, who would never be raised by their birth parents.

For her sister, who'd been so loyal to her.

For her parents, not knowing their daughters had lied.

For her future brother-in-law, not knowing that they weren't his children.

For her lover, who would never know his children.

And…

For herself, who was giving up so much to follow a path she wasn't sure she wanted.

Crying alerted her and shook her from her thoughts. She got out of bed and headed into the babies' room, where she discovered Jayfeather crying and sniffling. On instinct, she picked him up and began humming. He calmed at her touch, but he was still crying. Her son was hungry, so she took a chance to feed him. He suckled at her breast and she felt a sense of bittersweet joy. Once he'd had his fill, she burped him and laid him back down as he fell back asleep.

"I had a feeling."

She whirled around to see her mother standing in the doorway. Sandstorm was a beautiful woman despite her age, and she had an expression of pity.

"What feeling?" Leafpool asked, nervous.

"I was pregnant once, too, you know. I could tell something was up with you and your sister."

"Nothing was up."

"Why are you lying? They're  _your_  children." Leafpool's jaw dropped, horrified that her mother had figured it out.

"How did you figure it out?"

"Your sister isn't quite the master of deception she fancies herself as. Her act was enough to fool your father and her fiancé, but not me. Why the lies, Leafpool?"

"I want to focus on my career, to carry on what Cinderpelt did. I can't do that with children. I have a gift that I have to harness and focus, to share with the world. It was Squirrelflight's idea to pass them off as hers."

"Ah." Sandstorm crossed the room and hugged her eldest. "This must be so difficult for you."

"It is. But it's the right thing. I can't do this by myself, and Squirrelflight has Brambleclaw."

"What about your children's father?"

"He's not able to be with us." Sandstorm sighed and gripped her daughter's shoulders. "Are you going to tell Brambleclaw or Dad?"

"No. I'll help keep the secret for your sake and your sister's. I'm afraid this could tear her relationship apart if her fiancé finds out. And your father doesn't need to know."

"Thanks, Mom." The two women hugged again and Hollyleaf chose  _that_  moment to start screaming to be fed.

And so the young mother fed her daughter for the last time.


	2. School Fight

"Time to get up!"

Hollyleaf let out a dramatic groan as her father's voice carried up the stairs. She  _hated_  getting up in the morning. Her mother and grandfather sometimes joked that she was more cat than human, which made her hiss and bare her teeth like the animal. Her father would pat her head to calm her down, which worked effortlessly.

"Come on, Hollyleaf!" Brambleclaw called from the doorway. "You have school in less than an hour and your Aunt Leafpool's going to drive you!"

The black-haired girl slid out of bed and into her Moonpool Academy uniform. As quickly as she could, she yanked a brush through her thick locks and gazed at her reflection. Her hair went down to her waist, making it seem like she'd never had a haircut in her life. She had pale skin that was dotted with freckles, but by far, her most defining feature was her eyes—bright green and piercing. More than a few people had made eye contact only to be startled by how intense her eyes were.

She headed downstairs to find her aunt talking animatedly to Squirrelflight. Leafpool was a pretty woman with long brown hair that was tied into a bun. Hollyleaf admired her for not needing a man or kids in her life and focusing on her career instead. That was the kind of person that Hollyleaf wanted to be.

"Hey, Hollyleaf," Leafpool greeted her with a smile. Her amber eyes were almost as piercing as Hollyleaf's green ones, but whenever Hollyleaf looked into them, she saw nothing but warmth.

"How's work been?" Hollyleaf asked, sitting down next to her aunt.

"Oh, you know. Nothing's really changed."

"Unlike around here, where a big change is happening." Hollyleaf glanced at her mother, who rested a hand on her slightly-swollen belly.

It had been a mystery to Hollyleaf why Squirrelflight hadn't given birth to two babies over the years. She'd been pregnant twice since they were born, and both had ended with her mother going to the hospital and returning home empty-handed and crying. After that, she and Brambleclaw would avoid each other while showering their children with love and adoration. Jayfeather was used to that kind of treatment; he was blind and their parents made sure that he knew how much they loved him. Lionblaze was a little freaked out but went along with it.

Hollyleaf just wanted to know where the damn babies were.

"Any ideas what you're going to name the baby when it gets here?" Leafpool asked her sister.

"Alderheart for a boy, Sparkpelt for a girl."

"Wow. You've really thought this out already."

"Yep!" Squirrelflight smiled brightly. "This one's going to make it!"

"I know they will, because this time, you're taking my medical advice instead of  _insisting_  on winging it." Squirrelflight—like a child—stuck out her tongue. Hollyleaf gave her mother a look.

"Why would you wing it, Mom?"

"Because I thought ultrasounds and things like that were too much fuss to make over a baby. That's what I did with you three, and it worked out  _fine_."

"…we were born at the cabin during a blizzard in the middle of winter with nobody helping you but Aunt Leafpool."

"See? Fine!"

Hollyleaf rolled her eyes as Jayfeather entered the kitchen, followed closely by Lionblaze and Brambleclaw. Leafpool gave them her typical 'not-your-mom-but-still-proud-of-you' look, which Lionblaze accepted with a smile. Jayfeather simply tried to get some breakfast, side-stepping Squirrelflight and bumping up against her belly by accident.

"Sorry," he said, biting his lip. "The baby seems healthy, at least. For now."

"And the baby will  _remain_  healthy," Squirrelflight insisted. "Between you and Leafpool, why wouldn't it?"

"Weird stuff happens when you're pregnant."

Brambleclaw started chuckling. Squirrelflight, quick as lightning, grabbed a dishrag off the counter and threw it at him. He caught it with ease, smiling all the while as he gave her a gentle kiss on the cheek. Lionblaze and Leafpool had grins that matched Brambleclaw's, while Jayfeather had a blank expression.

"You two are so sweet it's sickening," Hollyleaf complained good-naturedly. Lionblaze responded by hugging both his siblings at once, which they both protested furiously.

"Hurry and eat," Leafpool urged. "I'm taking you three to school today."

"We know." Lionblaze released Jayfeather and Hollyleaf. "It's the first day. You always drive us on the first day."

"And Dad told us," added Hollyleaf, digging a foil-wrapped package of Pop-Tarts out of the pantry.

"You know those things are going to sap your energy, right?" Jayfeather pointed out.

"What things?"

"Pop-Tarts."

"How the hell do you know I'm eating Pop-Tarts?"

"I can hear the foil wrapper and smell the cinnamon."

"Hmph." She ignored his warning about her energy and put her breakfast in the toaster. Lionblaze simply made a bowl of cereal. Jayfeather was eating a banana and a granola bar with a glass of milk.

Once they were finished eating, all three headed upstairs to brush their teeth and grab their backpacks before coming back to head to school with Leafpool. She was waiting patiently in the kitchen, while Brambleclaw was grabbing his essentials for work as a sheriff. Squirrelflight usually worked at the station as an officer, but Brambleclaw had insisted that his wife remain at home for the duration of her pregnancy to minimize the risk.

"I call shotgun!" Jayfeather called to his siblings.

"No fair!" whined Hollyleaf, dashing out the door. Lionblaze was hot on her heels.

"No fighting over the front seat," Leafpool warned, following them. Jayfeather found his way to the front seat without any problem, leaving his siblings to sit in the back.

"Another year in hell," Hollyleaf sighed.

"School isn't  _that_  bad," Leafpool told her affectionately. "I had to go to school a lot longer than your mother did to become a doctor."

"Yeah, because Mom doesn't have the patience for more education. Dad says she barely got her diploma."

"That's because your mother was a terrible student. You're all very good students. You get it from your father."

"…hey, Aunt Leafpool?" Lionblaze inquired.

"Yes, Lionblaze?"

"How come  _you_  never had any kids?"

"I… never found the right person to settle down with. But it's okay. I have you three and my job. That's all I need."

None of them noticed the subtle tears rolling down her cheeks.

* * *

"Out of my way,  _nerd_!"

Lionblaze glanced up from his lunch tray just in time to see a boy with black hair shove Jayfeather to the side. Jayfeather stood back up, only to be shoved back aside.

"What are you— _blind_?" the boy sneered.

"Yes, actually," Jayfeather replied bluntly. "I apologize if I was in your way."

"Hmph. You're a loser. Of course you were in my way."

"Well, I'm sorry. Can I go sit down now?"

"No. I want you to stay on the floor where you are."

"What is your  _problem_?"

"My  _problem_  is the fact that you seem unaware that  _I_  am in charge around here. And I don't see anybody coming up to defend you."

"Lionblaze!" warned Hollyleaf as her brother stood up and marched over.

"Leave him alone," Lionblaze demanded. The black-haired boy narrowed his amber eyes; his pale skin contrasting against his dark hair reminded Lionblaze of his sister in a way.

"Who are  _you_  to make me, blondie?" the boy snapped.

"I'm his brother. Leave Jayfeather alone."

"Make me."

"Lionblaze, you don't have to—" protested Jayfeather, but the black-haired boy kicked him in the shin. The blind boy held his injury with a hiss.

Lionblaze threw the first punch. It turned into an all-out brawl, all the other students coming to watch what was going on. Cheers and jeers came from the crowd as Hollyleaf pushed her way to the center, as did another girl. The other girl had reddish hair and blue-violet eyes.

"Jayfeather!" hissed Hollyleaf, grabbing her brother by the shirt. "Come on!"

"Breezepelt, you're going to get in trouble!" the reddish-haired girl told the black-haired boy.

"What's going on?!" asked a voice. The students parted to let a teacher through—Ashfur, if Hollyleaf remembered correctly. Lionblaze looked up in alarm, allowing Breezepelt to get in a hit.

"Lionblaze!" gasped Hollyleaf.

"Break it up!" snapped Ashfur, grabbing Lionblaze's collar. A second teacher—this one by the name of Whitetail—grabbed Breezepelt's. "Office, now! Both of you!"

"Shouldn't we look at their injuries?" asked Jayfeather in a nervous tone. Ashfur gazed at him, then nodded.

"You come down to the office, too."

"I'm going with him!" announced Hollyleaf, crossing her arms.

"How do you know him?"

"The three of us are triplets."

"Ah." Ashfur nodded again. "You'll have to give me your mother's phone number so I can inform her of what just happened."

They were walking to the office when a thought occurred to Hollyleaf. Brambleclaw had put Squirrelflight on maternity leave several months early because he was worried about the baby. He likely wouldn't appreciate her having to come down to the school because their kids got into a fight. She had to call someone else. Her grandmother and grandfather were busy people, and there weren't really any other family members she could call… except Leafpool.

"I'll call her," Hollyleaf volunteered. "Just… give me a moment."

She went to the phone and dialed Leafpool's number. Her aunt picked up on the first ring.

_"Hello? This is Leafpool."_

"Hi, Mom!" Hollyleaf laughed nervously. "Listen, we need you to come down to the school. Lionblaze got in a fight."

_"Hollyleaf, did you just call me Mom?"_

"Please come quick! The other kid's parents need to be called, too! Love you!"

Hollyleaf hung up, leaving Leafpool extremely scared and confused.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have no idea what I'm doing with this story.
> 
> By the way, Squirrelflight had two miscarriages in this story. This is to reflect the fact that in canon, she only has two living kits. The other two died extremely young. That's why Brambleclaw is being so weird about everything.
> 
> Oh, and next time, Crowfeather meets his other children.
> 
> So long and thanks for all the fish!


	3. Doubt

A feeling of worry swept over Leafpool as she entered the school.

_Hollyleaf called me 'Mom'. Did she figure it out?_

Finding her way to the office was easy. She entered it to see Hollyleaf, Jayfeather, and Lionblaze sitting near a boy she didn't recognize. There was something familiar about him, though—something she couldn't quite put her finger on.

"Mom!" Hollyleaf called. She ran over to hug her before whispering, "Ashfur would only let us call a parent. Dad's busy and Mom's not supposed to be leaving the house too much, so you were our only option. Play along."

"Okay," Leafpool agreed, a slight sense of relief washing over her. "What happened?"

"Lionblaze got in a fight with Breezepelt over there," the girl replied, gesturing to the black-haired boy she didn't recognize.

"Yes, but  _why_?"

"He was picking on Jayfeather!" the golden-haired boy burst out. "Aren't I supposed to look out for my brother?"

"Yes, but try to solve problems with your words, rather than your fists."

"I swear, Breezepelt!" a familiar voice grumbled behind her. " _Another_  fight?" She turned to see someone she hadn't seen for fifteen years.

"Crowfeather?" she whispered. He looked up from his son (who had run over to assure his father it wasn't his fault) and stared in shock.

"Leafpool? What are you doing here?"

"Bailing out the kids." She glanced down at Hollyleaf, who gazed at Crowfeather with interest.

"Who's this?" she asked.

"Hollyleaf, this is Crowfeather. He's an old friend of mine. Crowfeather, this is Hollyleaf."

"And who are you to Leafpool?" Crowfeather inquired.

"She's my aunt, but she's pretending to be my mom because my real mom isn't supposed to leave the house. She's too pregnant. And my dad's the chief of police, so he's too busy to come here."

"Ah." Crowfeather nodded. "It's nice to meet you."

"Crowfeather? Leafpool?" The two turned to see Principal Mistystar waiting for them. "Please, step into my office."

"I'm so sorry for what happened!" Leafpool blurted. "Lionblaze isn't usually like this. He's just very protective of Jayfeather and—"

"I understand perfectly. I have a number of witnesses who told me that Breezepelt instigated the fight by picking on a blind student who couldn't really fight back. However, I can't show favoritism. Both Breezepelt and Lionblaze are suspended for a week."

Leafpool let out a sigh of relief.

_At least he wasn't expelled._

"You may take them home. Jayfeather and Hollyleaf can go back to class." The two adults nodded and headed back out.

"What's happening?" Jayfeather asked.

"Lionblaze and Breezepelt are suspended for a week," Leafpool replied. "I'm taking Lionblaze home; the two of you go back to class."

Lionblaze lowered his head in shame as he trudged to Leafpool's side. His siblings wished him goodbye and headed back to class.

"It's nice to see you again," Crowfeather commented as his son headed out the door. Lionblaze had taken Leafpool's keys to start her car.

"It's nice to see you, too. How's Nightcloud?"

"She's fine, but she'll be pissed to hear what happened. In her eyes, our son can do no wrong."

"Brambleclaw won't be too happy, either. Especially given that Squirrelflight is supposed to have as little stress as possible at the moment."

"Hollyleaf mentioned she's pregnant."

"She is, but we're worried that she might miscarry. It's happened twice before and it might happen again."

"Well, tell her I said hello and good luck."

"I will. Goodbye, Crowfeather."

"Bye, Leafpool." They parted and she slid into the driver's seat of her car.

"How do you know him?" Lionblaze inquired.

"I… if you must know, he's my ex-boyfriend."

"Your ex-boyfriend?! You had a boyfriend?!"

"It was a long time ago, back when I was in medical school. He was friends with your mother and father, and we met that way. Our relationship didn't last longer than six months."

"Wow… and he's Breezepelt's father?"

"He had him around the time you three were born, from what I've heard." Lionblaze's face fell. "What's wrong, Blaze?"

"Dad's going to be mad at me… I got into a fight with the son of his old friend."

"He'll go easy on you since you were protecting Jayfeather. And he doesn't want to stress out your mother."

"What's up with the whole stress thing anyway?"

"It's… complicated, but stress is bad for pregnant women. Stress, as a whole, is bad for people, but if your mother gets too stressed while she's pregnant, there's a chance she could lose the baby. Meaning the baby will never be born."

"Oh. I'm such an idiot!" He banged his head into the dashboard and Leafpool patted his shoulder comfortingly.

"Just try not to get in fights, please."

* * *

"And you only started fighting him to protect your brother?"

"Yes, sir." Lion swallowed. "He was saying that Jayfeather should know better than to cross him. Principal Mistystar said that she had to punish us equally."

"Well, then, I'm not that mad." Brambleclaw smiled at his son. "However, while you're home for the week, you're grounded. You still have to get up at the same time every day and you'll have to keep up with your assignments, and you'll also have to help out your mother around the house."

"That sounds fair." Lionblaze nodded. "I'll do my best."

"Why didn't you call me?" asked Squirrelflight.

"Well, Dad's been so insistent that you stay home and keep from being stressed that Hollyleaf thought it'd be better to call Leafpool and pretend  _she_  was our mother."

"Oh. Well, that makes sense."

However, there was a note in Squirrelflight's voice that worried him—as if she knew something.

"Mom, is something wrong?"

"No, it's just the baby. It's kicking extra hard right now. Makes me feel weird."

"Did  _we_  kick a lot?"

"I think you three had a fistfight in my belly when I was pregnant with you." She smiled. "I'm going to take a nap. Let me know if you need something." As she headed upstairs, Jayfeather and Hollyleaf came into the house. They'd been brought home by Sandstorm, who'd picked them up so Brambleclaw could deal with Lionblaze.

"We brought your homework," Hollyleaf told her brother, handing him a stack of papers.

"Thanks. You guys want to work on it in my room?"

"Sure." The trio headed upstairs and sat down in Lionblaze's room.

"Do you guys ever wonder if we're actually related to Squirrelflight and Brambleclaw?" the blonde asked.

"No, why?" Jayfeather inquired.

"We're not like either of them. We don't even really  _look_  like them. How is it possible that we're their children?" Hollyleaf narrowed her eyes.

"Are you saying we're adopted? Mom and Dad would've told us if we were."

"Maybe not."

"Well, what about the story of how we were born? Up at the cabin, in the middle of a blizzard, and Mom couldn't get to the hospital, so Aunt Leafpool delivered us. Dad, Grandma, and Grandpa were  _all there_."

"Wait, hold on," Jayfeather protested. "Mom's had two miscarriages that we can remember. Why was she able to give birth to all three of us just fine?"

"Miracles happen!" Hollyleaf glared. "We're  _not_  adopted, and that's final!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so the seeds of doubt are planted.
> 
> This isn't going to be a long story, but there will be some drama that I want to get to. That includes the triplets finding out the truth and the fallout from that.
> 
> So long and thanks for all the fish!

**Author's Note:**

> It has been five years since I wrote for this fandom. In that time, a lot has happened in the series, but since I'm a better writer now, I decided to write this.
> 
> Small side-note: I feel like Squirrelflight would definitely swear a lot, mostly because she doesn't want to have a filter. Sandstorm is aware of the plan, but she's going to keep her mouth shut for the sake of her daughters.
> 
> So long and thanks for all the fish!


End file.
